Demonstrate credibility with a portfolio

Client referrals are the best way to "prove" your worth. If a client refers you to a prime PM, that will generally be enough to show you have credibility to do the job.

If you don't have a client referral, that's okay, but you have to be prove your credibility in other ways.

If you have a job that involves creating things (software, dashboards, comms products, etc.), you can create a portfolio of work.

This is common with web developers or designers. They will often have a public website showcasing apps or websites they have designed.

If you can find a way to show off an actual work product you created, that goes a long way to establishing credibility with the prime.

I did this with a dashboard I created. A prime wanted to see an example of a dashboard I made, and fortunately, they were able to access the classified networks and check out the dashboard themselves.

This was enough to prove that I could do the job.

I wouldn't go out of my way to create a portfolio, but if you're struggling to prove your worth, particularly if you are more junior, I'd invest in creating one.

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